Bella felt the weight of Damian’s words like a punch to the gut. She had thought things were bad before, but this was a whole new level of trouble. The contract was the key to everything—Damian’s business reputation, his control over her, and her tenuous position in his world. If it was exposed, there was no telling how much damage it could cause.
Her voice trembled when she finally spoke. “What do we do now? I can’t—”
Damian cut her off with a sharp wave of his hand, pacing the room like a predator in a cage. “We don’t panic. That’s rule number one. The media feeds off weakness, and right now, we can’t give them anything to latch onto.”
Bella clenched her fists at her sides. “I’m not panicking,” she said, though she knew her voice betrayed her. “But we need a plan, Damian. They’ll run
